Gorseth Ynyswitrin is a recently established Bardic Order based in Glastonbury. Our primary focus is to support, promote and honour Pan-Celtic culture, spirituality and creativity within the local community. To this end, we hold a yearly competition to decide the next Bard of Glastonbury and an annual Open Gorseth ceremony at which the new Bards are publicly invested. We also facilitate irregular Bardic Circle meetings and poetry / music / storytelling evenings where members and guests can share their creativity and offer workshops and performances at various local festivals and events.
In the Celtic Tradition, the term Bard describes a wordsmith or linguist with particular skill in poetry, songwriting or storytelling. The original bards were Iron Age poet-mystics who kept the lore and history of their tribes, held high status and fulfilled an important cultural role. Glastonbury is one of a number of towns in England, which, according to tradition, can elect their own Bard to represent the local arts scene. The use of the word has continued through to modern times, Robert Burns, for example, is referred to as The Bard of Scotland
, William Shakespeare, who dramatised the lives of King Lear and Cymbeline is known as The Bard of Avon
, Robin Williamson has been honoured as the Chief Bard of OBOD and Billy Bragg is sometimes called The Bard of Barking
.
The Bardic Chair of Ynyswitrin
Every year we hold a competition to choose the next Bard of Glastonbury and hold an Open Gorseth ceremony to celebrate creativity and bring new Bards into the Order.
Each chaired Bard holds the post for one year and a day, before setting up a competition to elect a successor. The Chair refers to the position but, in some cases, as in Glastonbury and Bath, there is a physical ceremonial chair which is passed down from bard to bard. We also have a blue ceremonial robe and the ceremonial Silver Branch of Ynyswitrin, which are passed on with the title. Each Bardic Chair has its own Celticised name and is frequently associated with a specific location which is often, but not always, a natural or man-made mound or stone circle. Of course in Glastonbury the natural focus is the Tor.
The contest is open to Poets, Storytellers and Songwriters who compose on a given theme each year. We meet up over the third week in May to celebrate local arts & culture and share in creativity, performances & ceremony. The new Bard is Chaired at the Finals, which are held on St Dunstan’s Day (May 19th) every year.
The Institution of the Bardic Chair of Glastonbury is independent and belongs first and foremost to the people of Glastonbury, regardless of faith, background or politics. The position of Bard of Glastonbury is open to anyone who lives within walking distance of the Tor. We trust that anyone wishing to join us will be sympathetic to the Celtic Tradition from which it claims its heritage. See Rules of the Bardic Trials
Some previous years’ entries can be read in our Poetry archive.
Performers who wish to enter the contest for the Bardic Chair of Ynyswitrin this year must fill in an official entry form, which is usually available from the Library of Avalon, Glastonbury High Street, Somerset. This year’s Open Gorsedd is being organised by the Gorsedd Committee of the Bardic Council of Ynyswitrin.
| Year | Theme | Chair | Crown | TSMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Gwyn ap Nudd: King of the Faeries | Tim Hall | ||
| 2007 | The Nine Maidens | Dearbhaile Bradley | Merlin of the Woods | Steve Potier |
| 2008 | The Spirit of Trees | Ash | David Reakes | Theo Simon |
| 2009 | All that Glisters is not Gold | David Reakes | Tony Atkinson | Jo Waterworth |
| 2010 | Flight | Tony Atkinson | Phil Stretch | Kat Brown |
| 2011 | Twelve Giants: The Glastonbury Zodiac | Kali Roberts | Tim Hall | Oshia Drury |
A brief history of Bardism
The earliest Bard we know by name is Orpheus, who fell in love with the wood-nymph Euridice. He was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greece. Stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve Euridice from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who could not hear his divine music. It would have been Heracles’ Bards who propagated the story of his Twelve Labours and subsequent Bards that accompanied the Argonauts on their epic voyage, documented the fall of Troy and the flight of the refugees in the Aenead.
According to mythology, Bardism began in Britain with arrival of a group of these refugees from the Trojan War sometime after 1000BC. Britain was Celticised by a series of immigrations, similar to those documented in the Irish book of invasions. Bardism evolved out of the ancient tradition of fireside storytelling. They probably would have dressed in furs and feathers and donned animal head-dresses. These primitive seer-shamans were known as the Gwyddoniaid. There would have been no distinction made between Bards, Druids and Ovates yet. Brutus, the eponymous first King of Britain had, we are told, a Bard called Plenydd, who was known as one of the Primaeval Bards and one of the three Warlike Bards of Britain. These people would have been of the urnfield culture, speaking a proto-celtic language and possibly worshipping a proto-indo-european pantheon of deities. By the time of Bladud and Llyr (Shakespeare’s King Lear), who were supposedly descended from Brutus, the ancient Britons had probably adopted Halstadt Culture. The dynasty ended in civil war caused by the fighting of Gorboduc’s sons, Ferrex and Porrex.
Order was restored by Dyfnwal Moelmud in the 5th century BC, the first British King to wear a golden crown. He codified a system of laws called the Molmutine laws, which organised The Bards into colleges along with the Ovates and Druids. These were the precursors to modern universities’ faculties of arts, science and philosphy. Bards were entitled to five acres of land, maintenance wherever they went, freedom from taxes, no person was to bear a naked weapon in their presence and their word was always paramount. The Bards were heralds of peace.
Dyfnwal’s son Brennius defeated the Romans at the battle of the Allia July 18th 390BC. Britons of the Classical Era were the first Hill-fort builders and Iron workers who probably would have spoken a Brythonic language and adopted the Classic La Tene culture with its characteristic elaborate knotwork designs. The young Alexander the Great, was impressed with the bravery of the colourful warriors of the Keltoi that he came into contact with, who claimed that the only thing they feared was the sky falling on their heads.
Gold and Bronze smithying became a fine art. The Celts were skilful craftspeople and competent farmers, inventing the roller-bearing and their own form of combine harvester. Greek writers Hecateus and Herodotus, mention the Keltoi in their writings and Pytheas of Massilia wrote of the Pretanic Isles in his sailing manual of the 4th Century BC. The Celts appear to have been influenced by Classical Greek philosophies and political ideas, such as democracy. Britain was dividied into several kingdoms, which acted together as a federation under a High King in times of need. Traditionally succession would have been hereditary through the male line, but a daughter could act as regent in the case of there being no sons. From 200BC the Britons appear to have elected their High Kings, whose reign lasted about five years. This era saw a further immigration of Belgic Celts from mainland Europe, such as the Attrebates from Artois.
Kings could also be Bards: King Blegywryd, who ruled around 160BC is noted for surpassing all other musicians on every kind of instrument. The hereditary line was restored in 119BC with the accesssion of Manogan the Emperor, who is considered to be one of the three Primitive Bards. He was father to King Beli the Great and grandfather to Cassiwallawn who fought off Caesar’s invasion attempt.
The first stories in the Mabinogion: “Lludd and Llevelys”, “Branwen, daughter of Llyr” and “Math ap Mathonwy” are set in the time before the Romans arrived. Cynfelyn, Shakespeare’s Cymbaline succeeded Casiwallawn and ruled from Camulodunum (Colchester) during Jesus lifetime.
Caradawc (King Caractacus of the Rolf Harris song) fought an effective military campaign against Caligula’s invasion until betrayed by the Brigantes. Boudicca was defeated in 61AD, closely followed by the Brigantes themselves. Joseph of Arimathea founded the first proto-christian church at Glastonbury in 66AD and was granted jurisdiction over the twelve hides of Glastonbury by King Arviragus. The Druids were pushed back to the Island of Mona (Anglesey) and wiped out in 74AD.
The Bards survived the genocide of the Druids by the Romans, continuing the tradition in the courts of the British and Welsh Kings such as Old King Cole who was famed in nursery rhyme for his love of music. Britain became gradually Christianised during Roman Rule. In Ireland, King Cormac encouraged the art of writing and the practice was further developed under St Patrick. The later stories of the Mabinogion, beginning with “The dream of Macsen” take place as the Romans withdrew their legions from these isles and Bardic privileges were restored.
Once the Romans had left, a struggle for the Kingship ensued between the House of Gweissei and the House of Brittany, which ended with King Arthur’s enthronement. “Culhwch and Olwen”, “Knight of the fountain”, “Peredur”, “Gereint” and “The dream of Rhonabwy” are all set in Dark Age Britain. Idris Gawr is mentioned as being the last of the three Primitive Bards of Britain, who re-invented the harp. Arthur was a Bard himself, renowned for his harp playing, he and Glewlwyd Mighty-grasp were both called Imperial performers on the Harp in the Triads. Although the historical truth of Arthur is shrouded in mystery, the story of his quest for the Grail became one of the defining legends of the British Nation. Arthur would have been a Roman Briton, in these stories he is referred to as ‘Emperor’ rather than ‘King’. No mention is made of a Grail, round table or Camelot and Arthur’s retinue contains few familiar names – Cei and Bedwyr are his two staunchest followers and Lancelot is nowhere to be seen.
Next comes Urien of Rheged’s infamous Bard, Taliesin – one of the three bloody-spear’d Bards of the Island of Britain. According to Hanes Taliesin (Tale of Taliesin), an additional tale in the Mabinogion, Taliesin was a reincarnation of Gwyon Bach (or Gwion Bach), a servant of the goddess Ceridwen. Gwyon Bach had accidentally tasted three drops from the cauldron of Inspiration, which was meant for Ceridwen’s son. Fearing punishment from Ceridwen, he fled transforming himself into various animal forms. But when Gwyon Bach transformed himself into a grain, Ceridwen turned herself into a hen and swallowed Gwyon Bach. Ceridwen became pregnant and gave birth to Taliesin.
Instead of killing the baby, Ceridwen threw the infant into the sea, which was rescued by prince Elffin (Elphin), who became Taliesin’s foster father. At thirteen, Taliesin won renown as a bard
par excellence, when he rescued his foster-parents from Maelgwn Gwynedd, king of Wales, challenging Maelgwn’s court bards, with his skills in poetry, wisdom and foreknowledge.
“The Gododdin” was written at this time by Aneirin the Satirist. Other contemporaries include Mongán, a Poet and leader of the Dál nAraide. Mongán was said to be a historical figure, who died about AD 624. He learned all the knowledge of the Tuatha De Danann, as well as having the ability to change his shape, as a deer, salmon, seal, swan or wolf.
Saxons eventually pushed the Celts West into Wales and Cornwall and south into Brittanny, founding the Kingdom of England out of the occupied territory.
In the ninth century, the rules for the conduct of Bards were revised and updated by King Hywel Dda along with all the other laws and ancient records of the Britons. Nennius produced the first surviving record of the genealogy of the British Kings in Latin. Prince Gryffydd ap Cynan, whose Bard Crella was one of the three Bards of the Harp, created further Bardic laws, which divided the colleges into the schools of the mediaeval Bards: Poetry, Heraldry (storytelling) and Music.
In the twelfth century, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, Layamon and Chretien de Trois turned Arthur into the chivalric character we know in the mediaeval romances, with the Grail, the sword in the stone, the Lady of the Lake, the Round Table and Launcelot being woven in with themes of courtly love. The stories of the Mabinogion were written down for the first time and “Taliesin” was probably composed in mediaeval times. The Irish Book of invasions and the stories of Fionn mac Cumhaill were not written down and widely circulated before the 12th century AD.
Llywelyn ap Gryffydd was slain in 1282 and with him fell the ancient independence of the Cymru who became subject to the King of England. The Bardic tradition continued through the institution of the Welsh Eisteddfodau up to the present day. Notable Bardic works are the poems of Amergin and Aneirin; the Mabinogion; the works of Taliesin; Dafydd ap Gwilym, a 14th century Welsh poet, generally regarded as the greatest Welsh poet of all time; Iolo Goch; and the Triads.
The three war-like Bards of the Island of Britain:
Merddin the son of Morvryn;
Bran the Blessed, the son of Llyr;
and Plenydd, Bard to King Brutus.
The three memorials of the Island of Britain:
Memorial of tradition;
Memorial of song;
and memorial of letters.
The printing of Mallory‘s “Mort d’Arthur” revived interest in the Matter of Britain in Tudor times. The Tudor house being derived from Celtic stock.
The modern Druid movement began with antequarians such as John Aubrey and William Stukely, the Ancient Order of Druids being founded in 1781. In 1792, Edward Williams (Iolo Morgannwg) held a revived Gorsedd on Primrose Hill in London under a system of rules and ceremonies largely devised by himself. In 1819 it was combined with the WelshEisteddfods, which had been running since 1177. On 21st September 1928, Pedrog, Archdruid of Britain, assisted by some members of the Welsh Gorsedd, inaugurated the first Gorseth of Cornwall. Installing Henry Jenner as the first Grand Bard of Cornwall.
“The White Goddess” by Robert Graves was published in 1948.
In 1964, Philip Ross-Nichols formed a new Druid Group – the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids – which has become one of the most well-known orders after the Ancient Order of Druids. Today, the strongest commonly known expression of the Bardic Tradition is The Welsh National Eisteddfod, of which the Queen is patron. Second to this is the Cornish Gorseth. Gorsedd (Gorseth / Gorsedh) literally means “high seat” but can refer to a group or gathering of bards as well as the sacred place where the gathering is held; it is used in the same way as words like ‘church’ or ‘parliament’.
The current movement to reinstate the Bardic Chairs of Albion began in the 1990′s largely promoted by the late Archdruid of Bath, Tim Woodman Sebastion, who set up the Bardic Chair of Bath (Caer Badhon) and assisted with the setting up of the Gorseths of Avebury (Caer Abiri), Exeter (Caer Wyse) and Glastonbury (Ynyswitrin).
Gorsedh Ynyswitrin was inaugurated on St Hervé’s day 2005 by Glastonbury Archdruids Dreow Bennett and Denise Michell. Installing Tim Hall as the first chaired Bard of Ynyswitrin.
Of the thirty-one towns believed to have been Arch Druidic centers in ancient times (and therefore also bardic centers), the following have now been revived: Bath, Bristol, Winchester, Avebury, London, Ely, Exeter and Glastonbury. New Chairs are being set up in Northampton, Leicester and Flag Fen in East Anglia. Even the Small World travelling stage has its own Chair.
In loving memory
For their tutelage, inspiration and guidance.
Tim Woodman Sebastion
Ray Kerley
Ritchie Bond
Alison Collyer
Jaqueline Memory Patterson
John Michell
